Letters: Where deportees can go for help

Growing up in Mexicali, Mexico, I remember my dad, an Imperial Valley farmworker, telling me many times as we walked across the border into Calexico, "When that gate opens, it's not just people being deported; dreams, hopes and whole families' lives are being thrown out."

Decades later, my dad's words still ring true. People are not disposable, our system is not perfect and families and dreams are being shattered.

I have heard these stories many times from the angeles sin fronteras who ask for donations along border roads and fences. What can I do? Give more of what our country has given me and denies these men.

Kudos to Sergio Tamai for helping deported migrants, and next time I'm in Mexicali, I'll stop by his hotel for the recently deported and offer my help.

Mario Palacios

Wilmington

Your article seems as if it is meant to stir my sympathy for people who have broken our immigration laws. The laws may be flawed, but they are in place because a majority in Congress voted for them. The administration has even tried to show empathy by not fully enforcing the law, only deporting those who commit crimes.

The error in our law enforcement is that employers of illegal aliens are rarely punished. Rigorous enforcement of current laws would end this tragic situation.

I don't blame those who try to sneak into the country; I would do the same if I were living in a poor Latin American country. I blame our government for not enforcing the law.